There are many positive displacement internal combustion engines which have gained widespread use in the area of locomotion such as automobiles, airplanes, trains, even lawn mowers. These types of engines have allowed mankind to achieve a superior life style compared to the life styles of mankind prior to the internal combustion engine. There are many types of positive displacement internal combustion engines such as two and four stroke gas engines of various configurations and displacements. The diesel engine is another positive displacement internal combustion engine which can also be two or four stroke in operation. The diesel engine is used primarily where high torque and efficiency is desirable and can be manufactured in varying configurations and displacements. The Wankel engine is yet another positive displacement internal combustion engine used where high power output to low weight and engine volume are more important than engine efficiency. There are many such positive displacement internal combustion engines which have been developed throughout the over 100 year history of the internal combustion engine. There is an abundance of books written describing the internal combustion engine such as Internal Combustion Engines by Colin R. Ferguson, 1986, John Wiley & Sons.
There are several problems with the positive displacement internal combustion engines in widespread use today and they will be addressed as follows:
(a) They use the same chamber to induct, compress, combust, expand, and exhaust the working fluid. Since the same chamber is used to carry out all of these operations, the chamber cannot be optimized to do each operation the most efficiently. PA1 (b) The constant volume time for combustion is controlled by the rotational speed of the engine. PA1 (c) A big problem with diesel engines, which have the highest potential for power output due to the ability to allow extreme boosting of intake pressures, is that they suffer from the fact that at higher revolutions per minute of the engine the near constant volume time for combustion is not sufficient to complete combustion when using a fuel injection system. PA1 (d) Engines of present are limited to burning a more select range of fuels such as diesel fuel or gasoline.
These problems could be overcome if the various processes performed in an internal combustion engine could be separated by various gas processors as to best optimize each processor and to allow the burning of a wider range of fuels. When the various processes which are carried out in an internal combustion engine are separated or conducted in separate processors, and in which the combustion is initiated externally of the work producing processor, the engine is classified as an external combustion engine.
Many other inventors have tried to separate the processes of the internal combustion engine and create workable non-steam positive displacement external combustion engines. To date these efforts have failed to gain widespread use.
Lough, U.S. Pat. No. 712,247, issued Jul. 30, 1912, discloses an external combustion engine that uses separate processing chambers where combustion is initiated before transferring its fluid to the work producing processor. The problem with this design is that each chamber used to transfer the working fluid where combustion is initiated has two openings and a long passage used to transfer fluid from the compression processor to the expansion processor. These processing chambers are referred to in the patent as combustion chambers whereby the fluid is transferred. This type of chamber allows for too much surface area which would create excessive heat loss. Also, the frame in which the combustion chambers are an integral part incorporates an inferior sealing of combustion chambers. This tapered frame and tapered frame enclosure would cause excessive friction and insufficient sealing.
Milisavljevic, U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,086, issued Sep. 8, 1971, discloses an external combustion engine that uses separate processing chambers where combustion is initiated. The problem with this design is that each chamber used to transfer the working fluid where combustion is initiated, is stationary with the main block and therefore must incorporate valves. This invention uses poppet valves which are slow in operation. Also, the poppet valves in this invention are used in an unconventional way which requires lifting of the valve stem rather than pushing on it. The way in which the inventor chose to operate the valves would not be durable and would produce unacceptable wear.
Gersman, U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,430, issued May 24, 1935, discloses an external combustion engine that uses separate processing chambers where combustion is initiated before transferring its fluid to the work producing processor. The problem with this design is that each chamber used to transfer the working fluid and where combustion is initiated, is stationary with the main block and therefore must incorporate valves. This invention uses sleeve valves which would cause excessive friction and insufficient sealing.
Defrancisco, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,158 discloses an external combustion engine that uses separate processing chambers where combustion is initiated before transferring its fluid to the work producing processor. The problem with this design is that long passages are used to transfer the fluid from the compression processor to the processing chamber where combustion is initiated. Also, an accumulator is used. These long passages and accumulator would cause excessive heat loss and unacceptable clearance volumes.
Prior attempts to create non-steam driven positive displacement external combustion engines have failed however, it would be very desirable if a non-steam positive displacement external combustion engine could be manufactured which would separate the processes of an internal combustion engine using separate processors. This would allow the optimization of each processor which would produce higher efficiencies, horsepower, more favorable emissions, and allow the burning of a wider range of fuels.